#143 – Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

There seem to be two types of spinoff games – ones that take the franchise in a completely new direction, and ones that go in the same direction and make less of an effort to stand out. Maybe that’s an unfair generalisation, but offhand I can’t think of a single spinoff title I’ve played with gameplay that’s the same as the main series that has been as good or better than the main series.

Anyways, here’s Part 5 of my Uncharted series playthrough, now with 100% more Claudia Black. That at least is not a bad thing.

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#142 – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

I’ve never been sure how to feel about extensions to completed stories. On one hand, it’s nice to see what characters get up to after their stories have supposedly finished – particularly when they’re likeable. But on the other, it always feels so…unnecessary. Like you can have too much of a good thing.

Anyways, part 4 of 5 of my Uncharted series playthrough is done, so here are my thoughts.

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#141 – Nurse Love Syndrome

I have an acute phobia of hospitals, which is not helpful considering my generally poor health. As a child I spent a brief period in one due to appendicitis and to say it ruined my life would be an undestatement. But ironically, everything I did as a child to avoid going back into hospital once I got out almost landed me back in there a few years ago. I’ve never been able to watch medical dramas either – which is unfortunate, because my mother loves them.

…so why on earth I decided to read this is beyond me.

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#140 – Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny

I’m not an elitist – I think video games should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. I embrace features like difficulty modes, the ability to skip things that might not interest you (like puzzles!) and all those other things that people complain about that ultimately they don’t have to use and doesn’t really affect them at all. Because it lets more people experience them – which is always a good thing, because more people = more sales = more games – and…y’know, I’m not a teenager anymore. I work, I have other hobbies and interests, and I have a huge backlog. Sometimes I don’t have the time or the inclination to plug hundreds of hours into something. These things can benefit me, too…and I can ignore them if I feel like it. It’s nice to have options.

But when I play games like Disgaea 6, I can almost see the viewpoint of these kinds of people. Almost.

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#138 – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered

Part 2 of 5 of my Uncharted series playthrough is, naturally, Uncharted 2. I think this is a game that I was initially very dismissive of, because it seemed to focus more on multiplayer than the actual game…at least if the PS3 trophies are any indicator. Released right in the middle of that godawul time in the PS3’s life cycle where it was dominated by half-arsed single player games with a clear focus on PvP. I do so hate PvP.

Anyways, here’s Uncharted 2!

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#137 – Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights

There are only four games that I’ve played that I’ve given up on because of their frustrating level of difficulty – Nioh, Blasphemous, Hyper Light Drifter, and Jotun. I plan on going back to them all eventually, even though I know I shouldn’t: if it’s not fun, then don’t play it. There is no shame in admitting something is too difficult for you and seeking your entertainment elsewhere. But it still stings, and I hate the idea that a video game in a genre I enjoy is too hard for me. It’s a small measure of pride which often comes back to bite me in the arse, because I persevere even when I’m not enjoying myself, and I rarely get any satisfaction from actually doing whatever it is I’m stuck on. It’s a problem I need to work on.

Ender Lillies really should have been the fifth game I added to that list, but here I sit, typing this out after 15 hours of abject misery and fury. Here we go…

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#136 – Dead Cells

Its been 12 years since the release of Demon’s Souls and I’m still trying to decide if it changed (or perhaps “returned” might be a better word) the landscape of video games to better or worse. Having played several very unfair older titles – hello, Megaman X series final stages, and fuck you too! – I think the concept of “Nintendo Hard” is something better forgotten about, and plenty of developers toe the line between “tough but fair” and “fuck you” to the point that it blurs and I just don’t want to play the game anymore because difficulty curves should never become difficulty spikes.

Anyways, here’s Dead Cells.

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#135 – Tell Me Why

Since 2015 (we’ll pretend Remember Me never happened) Dontnod have actually put out some really good games, where the compelling narrative has more than made up for the wonky presentation. There have been a few hiccups (Life is Strange 2) but on the whole I’ve found them to be a developer to keep an eye on. Which reminds me, I need to go back to Vampyr and finish it…

Anyways, Happy Pride Month! Let’s talk about Tell Me Why, which more than once turned out to be a very apt name for it.

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#134 – Metroid Fusion

Part 4 of 4 of my Metroid refresher prior to Dread’s release (way too early, I know) is Metroid Fusion, which was my very first (and arguably still my favourite) Metroid game. This came out after my birthday that year, so I had to wait until Christmas to play it, but it was definitely worth the wait. Years later, this still has some of my favourite moments in the entire series.

But good lord, whoever designed the colour scheme for the Varia Fusion suit has absolutely no sense of taste. Pixellated pink and yellow? Yikes…

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